I had a blip at around three months, it was then it sort of became an ongoing change rather than a short term intervention. I'm still adjusting/learning and it's been a year although it's no longer 'difficult'.
It was a big change to my way of thinking and habits, unlearning stuff is hard! Not necessarily bad but it did take a lot of energy/commitment.
What worked for me was to identify a couple of no brainer low carb meals that were my go to when I couldn't be bothered. Before T2D mine was pasta with tomato sauce (haven't had pasta in over a year now!). Now it's courgettes with tinned fish (chilli sardines) or a bulk cooked mince, onion, tomato sauce that I freeze. Or eggs.
Basically it's something that works for me i.e. isn't stressful to prepare, is 'store cupboard', doesn't require portion control (no carb counting). I don't think it matters what it is (balanced diet, calories etc) as long as it works. It takes the pressure off and gives you some breathing space. Honestly if it was two burgers and a can of olives it wouldn't matter. Some people use cheese and nuts, or pork scratchings but for me it had to be a 'meal'. It's really personal I think.
Next I experimented and failed a lot! not that I pushed my bg up but I just really didn't like the things I tried
but I have identified some things I do like and even prefer to previous stuff.
Then I acknowledged that it is a really big change, not so much not eating carbs (or as many carbs) but my whole approach to planning, buying and preparing meals. Including working out what is healthy and what isn't. Plus my relationship with my body has changed as it sends different messages at different times than it did before!
This week I thought "I could lose weight". I've lost weight this year but that wasn't the point. I realised I could actively choose to lose weight and it would stay gone
Seems crazy that it's taken me a year to figure this out
but I think that is an indication of just how different everything is. Past expectations, experiences, 'knowledge' are all being challenged at once - it's quite the journey. That said, for me, it's much, much better now than before my T2D diagnosis. I wouldn't go back.